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Thursday, June 12, 2014

BEST OF...EVERYDAY HEROES

EVERYDAY HEROES

Although we sometimes berate
men for not communicating more, most men share their love by doing, not
talking. Today I honor those men, the ones who help for the sake of
helping...the men who do small unselfish acts everyday.

Today is your day guys as I dedicate this blog
to my everyday heroes, men I know and don't know who have touched my life in
positive ways...you know who you are:1) To the two gentlemen who stopped, briefly, to
pick me up, one guy on each arm, when I slipped and fell at the bottom of the
wet subway stairs on a rainy day.2) To the man who stopped in the parking lot of
Peck's grocery store in Narrowsburg. The second I put my hands under the hood
of my car, he was there, asking me what was wrong and if I needed help. Then he
proceeded to show me where to put in the wiper fluid, unscrewed the cap to the
little tank and left before I even made eye contact! 3) To all the men on the streets of New
York who have stopped to pick up whatever I dropped before I even bent my
knees. Klutz that I am, that number is huge.

4) To my friend in the community who came
down to the lake because I told him I was going there to swim by myself and he
felt it was unsafe.5) To all the men on airplanes who, when
seeing me with a large carry-on bag, stood up and put it in the overhead rack
for me without even being asked. And also, to those who took it down for me
when we landed.6) To the thousands upon thousands of men
who have held doors open for me, allowing me to pass through first.7) To the two young men on line in the
grocery store who offered their frequent buyer cards to me so I could get the
discounts, too. 8) To the man who took the dead mouse out
of my mousetrap and disposed of it for me. Yucky! 9) To all the young men in high school and
college who politely took "no" for an answer and either still
continued to date me or became my friend.10) To all the men who got up to give me a seat
on the bus or subway when I was pregnant.11) To my male writer friends in NRW who
encourage me every day and still flirt with me.12) To the men I met on countless vacations who
danced with me, bought me a drink at the bar and didn't hit on me.13) To the man who came to the emergency room
with me on a first date, waited forever and held my hand while I got a tetanus
shot. 14) To my writing partner, Ben, who
encourages me every day, never tells me my ideas are dumb or gives me a hard
time about my typos or lack of punctuation…and listens, patiently, to me rant
about life.15) To the man who took two hours out of his day
to show me how to do my website for the price of a bagel.

16) To the two men who took my pictures and
designed book covers for me just because they are my friends.17) To the man who walked me home after dark
when I ducked into a bar because someone was following me...and took
"no" for an answer with charm and grace. 18) To the man who drove me through a blinding
snowstorm and back so I could bring a stray cat with an infected paw to the
vet.19) To Doug, our guest, who surprised me with a
Tiramisu cake just because I had admired it in the bakery window.

20) To the man who jumped into a Facebook group
to defend me when several people attacked my opinion.21) To all the men who let me go first...from
the checkout counter at the grocery store to the bread counter at Zabar's...
simply because I'm a woman. 22) To the unknown young man who gave me a lift
60 blocks up Madison Avenue to Mt. Sinai Hospital when the subway wasn't
running and my father was in surgery.23) To the men in IRM who are never stingy with
hugs or encouragement. 24) To DH who sometimes fixes things before
I ask.

To all you everyday heroes, thank you.
Thank you for all you've done and continue to do quietly without fanfare...and
for the shy smile you give me when I acknowledge your help. Love you all!